Category Archives: Articles

5 UNEXPECTED SIDE BENEFITS OF HOMEOWNERSHIP

You already know about the tax benefits of buying a home and the long-term financial advantages created by rising home values and bankable equity. But some of the associated benefits of homeownership might surprise you. 1. Pride of ownership You understand the idea of pride of ownership, but maybe you've never actually felt it. You…
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Three Ways to Invest in A Home and Not Get Hurt

Buy low, sell high. That's the investor's maxim that never fails. The trick is in knowing when to buy and when to sell. Investing in a home is never as easy or as quick to deliver returns as you may wish. We all want to ride the boom and avoid the crash. Here are three…
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May/June 2015 Market Pulse

Spring selling got off to a sunny start with the sales pace of existing homes hitting an 18-month high in March and NAR’s forward-looking Pending Home Sales Index showing continued improvement moving into summer. But inventory shortages and price increases continue to pose hurdles.   Who’s Buying? Home buyer demographics have shifted dramatically. The share…
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Why Real Estate Could Have a Great Summer

  Summer is typically the busiest time of year for real estate. The weather is nice for house-hunting, and the kids are out of school, making it a convenient time to move. However, some summers are "hotter" than others. Here's why I think the summer of 2015 could be an especially good one for the…
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Tiny Seattle House Takes a Final Stand

It is a classic story of David versus Goliath—the real estate edition. Only this time, David, a 600-square-foot Seattle home, may not emerge the victor, as the hours tick down to the end of an auction that will leave the structure's future uncertain. For nearly a century, the tiny house, nestled on a 1,900-square-foot lot,…
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Online Home Values and the Price of Your Home

Plenty of sellers have visited online home valuation sites such as Zillow, Trulia, and others only to be shocked at the published value of their homes. Most sellers are pleased when the values appear higher than they expected, but many online valuations come in far lower. So should you use these values to price your…
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If You Don’t Buy a House Now…

If you want to buy a house, now is the time, and if you don't act soon, you will regret it. Here's why: historically low interest rates.  Today, rates are under four percent for a 30-year fixed-rate loan. Reason No. 1 to buy now: Rates are low "Low mortgage rates continue to keep ownership less…
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10 Summer Moving Tips

How to prepare for a seamless transition. If you're moving this summer, the busiest season for moving, you know how daunting it can be. But if you create a blueprint for your move, the transition from house to house will go more smoothly. Here are 10 things you can do to prepare for a seamless transition. 1.…
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What Online Dating Can Teach You About Selling Your Home

Online dating is big business, with 5.5 million users actively looking for love each day. Thirty-three percent of couples meet online today and 120,000 U.S. marriages every year, according to Blue Water Credit. And those numbers are growing exponentially every day. But that doesn't mean everyone who's online knows what they're doing. So what can…
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Buying a Home in the Spring

Spring and summer are the high season for buying a home: according to one estimate, about 40 percent of home sales happen from April through July. Spring is a great time to buy a home, because buyers can move in better weather, have months to fix up the house before the cold sets in, and…
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